A valuable insider’s look at ADHD.
In this picture book, a child explains the challenges and strengths of having ADHD.
The narrator, a White, blond-haired, ponytailed child, has ADHD, but likes to think the letters stand for “Adventurous,” “Determined,” “Hyper-focused,” and “Dreamer.” The child relates how sometimes feelings go up and down and thoughts spin, varying between thinking too fast and too slow. It’s hard to relax or go to sleep, but the grown-ups don’t seem to understand. Yet talking to a teacher and seeing others who display the same behaviors help keep the narrator from feeling alone. Other coping skills described include counting to five, playing with a “favorite toy”to stay focused, and using extra energy to be a better learner. Dreaming has an even greater benefit: “Sometimes my mind is busy with ideas, thoughts and things. / That’s the gift of being creative, for when I spread my wings.” Artist Friedel uses that metaphor to give the narrator beautiful painted wings that shimmer like stained glass, emphasizing the power of the imagination and its gift for people with ADHD. Based on Mabry’s own experiences growing up, this mostly rhyming text presents worthwhile insights about ADHD. The author’s vocabulary choices feel organic to the age of the character, who appears to be about 10 years old. Mabry also offers notes to help both learners with ADHD and their parents. Friedel, the author’s brother, captures the raw energy of the narrator with empathy in the cartoon illustrations.
A valuable insider’s look at ADHD.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-955119-32-0
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Purple Butterfly Press
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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